Google has shared this month's look at how many users are accessing the Play Store using which versions of Android. The numbers probably won't surprise you. Marshmallow still sits at a low 4.6%. Lollipop's numbers have barely budged in either direction.

but why you are not upgrading? how can you bare the slowness ( I assume) of the device?

Dastardly™

Haha..you seriously think I use this device? I'm using a Moto X(2013) on 5.1 at the moment and that too because I'm waiting for the next Nexus due in about 5 months from now? This was actually my second Android device from back in 2010. Nowadays It just sits in my closet enjoying a much deserved break after the couple of years or so it served me. I only take it out at times and log in to Play Store to add to that indomitable 0.01% distribution stat. I'm just evil like that.
I'll never let Froyo die..never..NEVARRRRR!! :D

Just gave an old Froyo device to a friend. It had been sitting idle in a drawer for 2 years or so. He's using it to read books. So you could say I'm responsible for a recent uptick in Froyo requests to the Play Store. MUHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

If you're coming for my friend to give him a more recent tablet, please do. :)

Zsolt V

Why should somebody with a perfectly good phone give it up if they are happy with it? To please idiots like you?

I feel though that the Android team has been trying to work on that with the dev previews.

Before you ignore this, hear me out.

While they have had Dev Previews since L, as we have seen, a lot of bugs slipped through, resulting in them needing to halt the update, and release X.0.1 updates shortly after the initial version release.

With them releasing the N preview last month however, I feel like they're trying to catch bugs before the official announcement so that by the time it's unveiled, it's relatively smooth.

And considering that L and M were both relatively big changes to the platform, and bugs slipped through, that impeded some adoption. With N, I'm hoping that the uptake improves.

Ben

Most of the problem I think is OEMs simply not putting out updates at all for ageing devices. Since most people are likely holding on to their devices for longer than they were before (since devices have gotten a lot better), they're stuck with old versions of Android forever as the OEMs (including Google) drop support for updates after less than 2 years most of the time.

Dev previews can't fix that.

Sruly J

I was looking at it with regards to phones from the last year.

But yeah, with people keeping their phones longer, and past when they reach end of updates, OS adoption rates will change in the future.

makapav

If you think M is a big update - wait till you read a blog on N.

Sruly J

I was talking more about changes beneath the surface.

Quint’s Sharking & Seashells

Oooooo! Colors!

philosopher_Mk

Eclair,you can on the pic by Sruly J.

Great days

Duder

Back when skins werent a thing

godutch

they were actually, touchwiz and sense already were around in those days

antonio cesar

actually back in those thays every manufacturer had a skin, even cheap chinese ones. the difference being that they were actually usefull, quicktoggles already existed in tw 2.2 for instance

ikjadoon

It's because Marshmallow was essentially a patch job. New permissions: hooray?

As far as adoption rates go, 4.4 is king. ICS went from 2.5% in March 2014 to 40.9% in March 2015. To be fair, 4.4 is the result of about two years of minor releases (and was a beneficial OS for OEMs due to the lower system requirements vs earlier versions), while Lollipop the biggest change to Android to date, is less than a year and a half old, and doesn't bring anything to the table that benefits OEMs directly.

I'm hoping that Marshmallow's Doze mode and seperation of core apps from the system is seen as an incentive enough for OEMs to push this update quickly. Most likely we won't see another 35%+ uptake of an Android version unless Google slows down their release schedule or Google finds a way to push updates themselves.

Google pushing /system apps to the Play Store is great for giving users more security and new features, but it's not a big enough deal for OEMs to try rush the updates. If anything it might slow down the uptake of new versions. Why update if Google is going to do it for you? To make things worse, with each new version of Android there is less of a reason for the majority of users to upgrade to a new device with a new Android version. We're past the point where the new generation SOCs are a big deal for general usage. Even the Snapdragon 800 works fine today. It looks like "premium" is what will drive updates now, so version adoption rates will probably be tied directly to new phone releases, meaning each version only getting a year and a half or so of growth, mostly dependent on new Samsung phones.

digiblur

I bet those that left 5.x went to 6.x so you could say that more people have 5.x now though.

blindexecutioner

Good thing the Galaxy phones released. Android needed the bump.

Sruly J

On the one one hand it's a bit sad that version uptake is dependent on one particular OEM.

On the other hand, considering how many more people use said OEMs devices compared to other OEMs, maybe it's not as bad as it seems.

databoy2k

...of course, the optimism doesn't make note of the fact that Froyo/Gingerbread/ICS make up the same % of devices as Marshmallow. Three versions that nobody visiting this site still uses. Something's got to give on forcing OEMs to get closer to the AOSP tree.

Even if you're right, what difference does it make?
His point about the slow adoption rate still stands.

Terrell L Washington

N beta is already released and was unexpected at that. If it follows last years pattern every 5 weeks there will be a new beta and 3 betas in total then they will release the final build. I count August mid as the likely time this year around 6-7 weeks earlier than normal. But my point still stands either way.

Felix

If you don't know what your talking about, shut the fuck up.
Android N is scheduled for August.

TomsDisqusted

Look at all those Kodi devices being sold on Amazon etc. - they are mostly 4.4 and will never be updated.

I think AP should do some reviews of those and give some recognition to ones that with a more recent version or a history of pushing updates.

Zsolt V

So what, most people don't know and don't care what version of the OS is, if they are happy with the device. At least on Android, newer versions of the OS tend to actually work better than older ones, as opposed to let's say, iOS.

OEMs are intentionally shipping new phones on budget devices to avoid using encryption. This is only budget devices so dont blow the lack of encryption out of proportion. It does suck new phones are getting 5.1 though.

tmartin

Any data on how many devices that represents in 2016 numbers? I mean, 4.6% of 1 million is horrible. 4.6% of a billion is, well, okay, it's still not that great. But it's not horrible.

makapav

Last count is 1.4 billion Android devices reporting into Google Play Services IIRC.

Duder

next month should quadruple or more 6.0 installs now that all the s6 are getting it.

Terrell L Washington

Sprint has it on the s6, s6 edge, note 4, note 5. They are ahead of all carriers in marshmallow updates. As usual.

Quint’s Sharking & Seashells

I'll have whatever froyo's having. It can't be killed. It's the terminator of android OS's.

Rúben Santos

It could be a bit higher if Cyanogen Inc released COS13 for the OPO and friends.

granets

Where's android N? I bet it's on at least 0.1% of devices

Luca

It's only a preview, I don't think they count it...

Sudev

At rough estimate, Android N userbase would be hardly 1% of devices which has already MM installed (4.6%) that translates into roughly into 0.046%.

I'm honored to be part of the devices that made the move from Lollipop to Marshmallow last month (Sony Xperia Z5 Compact user here.)

jerry

Only the other day, I bought a NEW Wetek Play Android box - what version of Android ships in Wetek OS 1.1.7......no not Marshmallow, it is Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean.
The question that needs to be asked is how much of these stats are distorted by Android boxes and other such devices that are not phones/tablets.

Also, the figures above do say that almost 75% are on kitkat or higher, which certainly explains why netmarketshare.com shows the chrome browser continuing to rise while the android browser's popularity is collapsing.

N8

Well, the stats measure requests against the Play Store. So if WetekOS has GoogleApps and the Play Store installed, it would count. Most heavily-customized OS builds won't tend to have the Play Store installed, though.So while I'm sure that distortion exists, it's probably not all that huge.

Cheap disposable tablets are likely more of a factor. Those are often sold with outdated OS builds because older Android runs on lower-level hardware, and they don't stand a chance of ever seeing an update - because who writes an update for a device you can buy for $40-50?

Plus, why throw away that old phone? It has Bluetooth, WiFi, and a decent camera. Repurpose it into a music player, or a webcam, or give it to your kid to use as a cheap mini-tablet. There are tons of uses for old "junk" like that.

Philip Worthington

Sigh. Why don't Google simply make the Play Store cut off access to devices with older versions of Android?

I would set KitKat as the minimum, or even Jelly Bean. Surely anyone with an older version of Android than that shouldn't be surprised that their device is out of date and is no longer supported in any way?

Felix

lol..
As a Nexus user I really hate Android fragmentation.
But set KitKat as minimum would mean to deny 26,2% access which means 366.800.000 devices from 1,4 billion..
They would be really mad if they couldn't access to the PlayStore anymore.
And they would instantly go to Apples iOS.

Philip Worthington

I'm sure some would go to iOS, but I'm sure most would just use their devices as they are now for e-reading or music playing, or would upgrade to new Android devices.

Whatever hit Android took in the short-term I think would be outweighed by the long-term benefits. Not least in forcing device makers to think twice about using outdated version of Android on new devices.

Maybe, on that note, there should be some restriction on including the Play Store if your device is launched using a version of Android more than two years old.

This is why i bought a nexus. No oem branded shit and runs pure Android. I got a 2013 N5 new unlocked 32gb for $180. Most expensive phone ive owned. I know its old and at end of support but Google keeps updating it. Just flashed the April images yesterday. Marshmallow is smooth as butter on this baby and I saw hints that N5 will get N support despite no preview build.

I might be mis-understanding something here, but these stats are usually a 2 week period of devices checking in to the Play Store right? And as more and more Android device ship then - if as an example - no new Froyo devices were shipped - then out of the total number of all devices, the Froyo percentage should be dropping, if it isn't dropping - that has to mean more devices shipped and went online running Froyo?